“We can confirm that there have been reports of gastrointestinal illness among Boston College students”, said Scott Zoback, a spokesman for the public health agency.
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The number of Boston College students who have reported symptoms had risen to 80 as of noon on Tuesday, according to a spokesman for Boston College.
The Mexican food chain says it hired IEH Laboratories in Seattle to help improve its system after reports in late October 2015 that linked E. coli cases to its restaurants in OR and Washington.
Chipotle said it was working with local officials to sanitize the Boston franchise and to test all employees for the norovirus. “The epidemiologic evidence available at this time”, representatives said, “suggests that a common meal item or ingredient served at Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants in several states is a likely source of this outbreak”. It also said that the Massachusetts Department of Public Health has been informed about the illness, and the department is investigating the case.
Shares closed Monday’s trading at 551.75 and opened Tuesday down 3.5 percent at 532.00.
On Tuesday, Chipotle said it would not shutter any other outlets in the Boston area.
It also said sales could be battered by additional reports of illness.
Chipotle executives noted the exposure period for the E. coli cases appears to be over. You can get it from an infected person, contaminated food or just by touching a contaminated surface.
The branch has been closed while the illnesses are investigated.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health received complaints of illness from more than 20 students, and Boston College officials sent out a mass email warning students of the probable food poisoning outbreak. The symptoms often start out slow, such as mild stomach pain or non-bloody diarrhea that becomes worse over the succeeding days.
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Before the E.Coli fiasco, Chipotle prided itself as the anti-thesis to unhealthy fastfood chains. The company has said it is tightening its food safety standards. Chipotle now expects sales at established locations to fall as much as 11 percent in the fourth quarter.
